Pilier du Routier on the Plat de la Selle
Recently cleaned, this west pillar promises to become a fine wild classic on a beautiful Oisans summit.
With Maxime.
The Oisans is a wild region of the Ecrins, and the Aiguille du Plat de la Selle is a wild summit of the Oisans! Visible and imposing, this spire has always been winking at me, but the reputation of its two normal routes never tempted me. Recently the obvious west pillar (or Routier pillar) was explored by Fred Chevaillot. Jean-René Minelli repeated it and spoke well of it, so it is with great motivation that Max and I set off for a day trip for a touch of Oisans adventure!
We take off from Champhorent around 4:30am in light trainers. Going light pays off, and at 8am we put our hands on the pillar, having nevertheless swapped our trainers for proper mountain boots!
Very logical, the route flows nicely despite rock that sometimes demands attention. Without delay, we reach the summit at around 10:40am, nearly 3 hours ahead of the estimated time. A radiant day, not a breath of wind, not a sound: the break goes on and on, and some two hours later (!) I drag Max in extremis away from a fierce call to nap to start the descent.
Another nice surprise: this descent turns out to be pleasant and not endless. The only hitch: clever as we are, we have to climb back up to fetch the trainers we left on a ridge during the approach.
Although the rock still demands a little attention, this route lends itself admirably to a day trip: no long valley to walk up, the approach is efficient and the route is easy to read.
A beautiful AD route, particularly recommended early in the season when the access couloir to the pillar is still in snow, which was the case this July, exceptional in that respect.
Let's hope it becomes a classic.
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